GILBERT -- Police in the Poconos say two convenience marts in two different counties were held up within a short amount of time early Wednesday morning.
The first holdup was in Monroe County at a store on Route 209. The second was at a store 11 miles away in Northampton County.
Now, police are looking to see if it’s the same person behind them.
The Slate Belt Regional police chief says surveillance video taken at a convenience mart in Wind Gap just after 4 a.m. caught a man trying to hold up the clerks inside the store.
Police say the clerks fought back and the man fled empty-handed in a Ford pickup truck that was also caught on camera.
“Takes a lot of strength and courage to do that, so very proud of them,” said a customer at that store.
The photo shows the man wearing jeans, a red t-shirt, and a baseball cap with an American flag on it.
Police believe the man is in his mid-20s and is six feet tall with a short beard.
State police in Monroe County say that's the same exact description of a man who held up a Turkey Hill on Route 209 in Gilbert about a half hour before the attempted robbery in Wind Gap.
In this holdup, he was able to take money from the register before taking off on Route 209.
“I was kind of shocked. I was out and about last night and I didn't even hear nothing,” said Kevin George, a customer at the Turkey Hill. “My mom told me once I got home from work today.”
Police are not saying that it's the same man that is responsible for both holdups, however they are saying the description of the robbers fits to a T, down to the hat, the clothing, and physical makeup.
People at the Turkey Hill say it's too much of a coincidence.
“Hey that's the same guy from what they just tell you, so I would say it is,” said George. “Right, it isn’t that far, just go down Route 33 and you're there.”
“Based on the description of his hat, shirt, everything else with the American flag,” said Ayla Devore.
People here say if the man in the picture is smart, he'll ditch the clothes and the hat.
“I mean, I guess it's throwaway clothes,” said George. “He's going take it and burn it or throw it away or something. It's not something you wear every day. I hope not anyways.”
Police say they were able to track down the owner of that Ford truck used as a getaway vehicle. They say it was reported stolen from a home in Pocono Township yesterday afternoon.
